this PDF file GROWTH OF SPINACH (AMARANTHUS TRICOLOR L.) UNDER VARIOUS APPLICATIONS OF NUTRIENT IN HYDROPONIC SYSTEM OF NUTRIENT FILM TECHNIQUE | Rukmi | AGROLAND: The Agricultural Sciences Journal 1 PB
Agroland : The Agriculture Science Journal, 2017 Desember 4 (2) 75 - 82
ISSN : 2407 – 7585
E-ISSN : 2407 - 7593
GROWTH OF SPINACH (AMARANTHUS TRICOLOR L.) UNDER
VARIOUS APPLICATIONS OF NUTRIENT CONCENTRATIONS IN
HYDROPONIC SYSTEM OF NUTRIENT FILM TECHNIQUE
Sindy Sella Rukmi1), Aiyen 2), Abdul Rauf 2)
1)
2)
Agrotechnology Program, Faculty of Agriculter, University of Tadulako, Palu Email : [email protected],
Faculty of Agriculter, University of Tadulako, Palu Email : [email protected], Email : [email protected]
ABSTRACT
The research aimed to discover the response of the growth of two spinach species on
Nutrient Film Technique (NFT) hydroponic system and the concentration of the appropriate AB
Mix solution on each species. The research was conducted in January to February 2016, at Green
House, Faculty of Agriculture, Tadulako University by using Split Plot Design method. The main
plot was red and green spinach, while the subplot was the concentration of AB Mix nutrient
solution, namely 4 ml/L of water, 5 ml/L of water, 6 ml/L of water and 7 ml/L of water. The
research findings reveal that AB Mix nutrient solution was generally very good to support the
growth of spinach on NFT hydroponic. The green spinach had better response rather than the red
one. There was no interaction between species and the concentration of nutrient solution. The good
concentration of nutrient solution for green spinach is 6 ml/L. It was showed by the better growth of
plant height on all age of plant, the more number of leaves, the canopy and the root (wet and dry)
were heavier, while on the red spinach, 5 ml/L of concentration of nutrient solution resulted in the
best growth, yet it was not significantly different from other concentration except on the parameter
of plant height and the dry weight of plant canopy.
Key Words : Nutrient film technique hydroponic, Nutrient solution, Species.
INTRODUCTION
Hydroponics is a non-media agricultural
land system that can be cultivated in various
places. Narrow land area, critical soil
conditions, uncontrolled pests and diseases,
limited amounts of irrigation water,
uncertain seasons, and uniform quality can
be overcome with this system (Ida, 2014).
One of the most widely used
hydroponic forms is the hydroponic NFT or
Nutrient Film Technique system. NFT is
one of hydroponic system with a method of
cultivation where the roots of plants are in a
thin layer of water that circulates and
contains nutrients in accordance with the
needs of plants (Cooper, 1979 in
Dermawati, 1996).
In the NFT system, nutrients for
plants are highly dependent on the nutrients
provided. Nutrient concentrations that are
not able to meet the needs of plants in
implementing physiological processes can
cause the process of inhibition of growth
and development, while the concentration
of nutrients that are dissolved too thick will
cause plant cells undergo plasmolysis, that
is the discharge of cell fluids as attracted by
the more concentrated nutrient solution
(Schwarz,1995 ; Wijayani 2000).
AB mix is one of the fertilizer that
can be used as a nutrient solution of the
hydroponics system. This fertilizer consists
of two parts namely stock A in the form of
macronutrients, while stock B is a
micronutrient. The recommended dosage of
5ml/L of water from the producers is for a
wide variety of plants, not on certain
species such as green vegetables so that
proper nutrient concentration is required to
75
obtain optimal plant growth in certain
species. In this connection, further study
was conducted on the proper dose of
nutrients for certain spinach types in the
NFT hydroponics system. The goal to be
achieved was to learn how to grow spinach
on the NFT hydroponics system, to study
the response of spinach to the concentration
of nutrient solutions in the NFT
hydroponics system, and determine the best
nutrient concentration for each spinach
species.
RESEARCH METHODS
The study was conducted from
January to February 2016 at the Greenhouse
Faculty of Agriculture, Tadulako University.
The instruments used in this
research were paper label, plastic tray, cork,
plastic board, oven, analytical scale,
spectrophotometer branded "PG Instrument
T-90", centrifuge, pipette, test tube,
measuring
cup,
documentation
and
stationery . The materials used were pure
water (Aquades), sand, red and green
spinach seeds (produced by CV.Aditya
Sentana Agro), alcohol, and ready-mixed
nutrient solution under the trademark of AB
Mix (produced by CV Sapto Bumi
Hidroponik).
This study used a split-plot design
method in a complete random form repeated
4 times. The main plot was a type of
spinach consisting of 2 treatments namely,
S1: Green Spinach and S2: Red Spinach.
The subplot was the concentration of
nutrient solution of AB Mix with 4
concentration level, K1: 4ml/L, K2: 5 ml/L,
K3: 6 ml/L and K4: 7 ml/L.
Research implementation activities
were as follows :
1. Seedling
Seeds of green and red spinach were
added to the sand medium and kept until
2 weeks old.
2. Preparation of Growing Media
Growing media in the form of
rectangular plastic containers with the
length of 28cm x width 21cm x height
4cm. The container was then given a
cover made of plastic board. The board
was perforated as many as 4 holes with
2.5 cm diameter functioned as a planting
hole. Each container was then filled with
500ml nutrient solution.
3. Planting
Planting was performed after the seeds
were 2 weeks old when the plant had
grown two or three leaves (uniform). The
root of the plant was coated with cork to
support the stem of the plant. Each
planting hole planted 3 seeds which then
nullified until 1 spinach plant.
4. Preparation of nutrient solutions
The nutrient solution was made from AB
Mix fertilizer. Stock A and B stock were
both crystalline powders each dissolved
in 500 ml aquades. The concentration
used was that the two solutions were
combined into:
K1: 4 ml stock A+ 4 ml stock B then
dissolved in 1 liter of aquades
K2 : 5ml stock A+ 5 ml stock B then
dissolved in 1 liter of aquades
K3: 6 ml stock A+ 6 ml stock B then
dissolved in 1 liter of aquades
K4: 7 ml stock A+ 7 ml stock B then
dissolved in 1 liter of aquades
5. Application of nutrient solutions
Application of nutrient solution to the
plant was performed by the solution
filled into the container that has been
prepared. Application of nutrient
solution in accordance with the
concentration tested.
6. Maintenance
Plant maintenance activities include
replacing and adding nutrient solution
once a week and controlling plant pests.
7. Harvesting
Harvesting was performed after 4 weeks
after planting.
Research Variable
To know the effect of the experiment,
then made a number of observations on the
growth of plants. The observed as follows:
a. Number of leaves, observed at ages of
14, 21 and 28 DAP. The calculated
leaves were perfectly formed leaves.
76
b. Plant height (cm), measured uniformly
from the surface of the cork.
c. Fresh weight of root and canopy (g),
weighed after harvesting with analytic
scales.
d. Dry weight of root and canopy (g), the
sample was weighed after being put in
the oven for 48 hours with temperature
of 650 C.
e. Chlorophyll total (mg/g), measured by
using a spectrophotometer after harvesting.
Leaf chlorophyll measurements used the
Wintermans and De Mots (1965) method
in Banyo et al. (2013), that was 1 g Fresh
leaves that dissolved in 20ml ethanol
(96%) and measured the absorbance of
chlorophyll solution at 649 and 665 nm
wavelengths.
Data Analysis
The data obtained were analyzed by
analysis of variance (F test), if the treatment
had real effect followed by honestly
significant different test (HSD) to know the
response of plant type and orthogonal test to
know the appropriate concentration on each
plant type.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS
Results
Plant height. Statistical analysis showed
that the concentration of nutrient solution
had significant effect on plant height at age
of 21 and 28 DAP, whereas the type
treatment had significant effect on plant
height at age of 14,21 and 28 DAP. The
interaction between the concentration of
nutrient solution and the type did not have
real effect on plant height. At the age of 28
DAP, the nutrient solution of 6 ml/L
resulted in the highest plant height of 35.84
± 2.66 and very real difference with
treatment of 7 ml/L. Similarly, in red
spinach, the response of nutrient solution of
6 ml/L was significantly different from 4
ml/L and very real to 7 ml/L.
In the type treatment, it was shown
that green spinach yielded a higher average
plant height than red spinach at all plant
ages is presented in Table 2. Plant height
growth is presented in Table 1.
Table 1. The average of plant height (cm) on 28 DAP at various concentrations of nutrient solution.
Treatment
S1K1
S1K2
S1K3
S1K4
Treatment
S1K1 Vs S1K2,S1K3,S1K4
S1K2 Vs S1K3, S1K4
S1K3 Vs S1K4
F Table
0.05
0.01
Information :
Treatment
S2K1
S2K2
S2K3
S2K4
Average
32.08 ± 1.57
32.65 ± 1.32
35.84 ± 2.66
27.78 ± 2.30
** : Very real
Orthogonal test
F calculation
Treatment
0.00 tn
S2K1 Vs S2K2,S2K3,S2K4
0.43 tn
S2K2 Vs S2K3 Vs S2K4
29.48**
S2K3 Vs S2K4
4.41
0.05
8.29
0.01
* : Reak
tn :
Average
21.78 ± 4.05
25.66 ± 1.17
27.53 ± 1.99
19.97 ± 1.45
F calculation
4.6 *
2.2 tn
25.9 **
4.41
8.29
Unreal
Table 2. The average of Plant height (cm) on 14, 21, and 28 DAP of two types of spinach
Treatment
Green spinach (S1)
Red spinach (S2)
HSD 5%
Information:
14 DAP
7.58b
6.08a
0.67
Plant height
21 DAP
14.71b
11.41a
0.92
28 DAP
32.09b
23.73a
2.28
The number followed by the same alphabet and column has no significant difference at the
HSD level of 5%.
77
Table 3. Average number of leaves (helai) on 21 DAP at various concentrations of nutrient solution.
Treatment
Treatment
Average
4.50 ± 0.64
S2K1
4.92 ± 0.17
S2K2
5.67 ± 0.47
S2K3
4.25 ± 0.17
S2K4
Orthogonal test
S1K1
S1K2
S1K3
S1K4
Treatment
S1K1 Vs S1K2,S1K3,S1K4
S1K2 Vs S1K3,S1K4
S1K3 Vs S1K4
F Table
0.05
001
Information:
** : Very real
F calc
3.42tn
0.03tn
23.17**
4.41
8.29
* : Real
Average
4.25±0.57
4.42±0.42
4.33±0.38
3.92±0.17
Treatment
S2K1 Vs S2K2,S2K3,S2K4
S2K2 Vs S2K3,S2K4
S2K3 Vs S2K4
0.05
0.01
tn :
F calc
0.0tn
1.3tn
2.0tn
4.41
8.29
Unreal
Table 4. Average Number of leaves on 14, 21, and 28 DAP of two types of spinach.
Treatment
Green spinach (S1)
Red spinach (S2)
HSD 5%
Information:
14 DAP
3.31
3.38
-
Number of leaves
21 DAP
4.83b
4.23a
0.34
28 DAP
10.60b
9.44a
0.87
The number followed by the same alphabet and column has no significant difference at the
HSD level of 5%.
Number of leaves. Statistical analysis
showed that the treatment of nutrient
concentration had significant effect on the
number of leaves at age of 21 DAP, while at
age of 14 and 28 DAP did not have real
effect. In the treatment of the type of effect
was real to the number of leaves at age of
21 and 28 DAP. The interaction between
the concentration of nutrient solution and
the type had no significant effect on the
number of leaves.
In Table 3, the type of green spinach
that produced the most number of leaves
obtained from the treatment of nutrient
concentration of 6ml/L with the average
number of leaves produced was 5.67 leaves
but not significantly different with the
concentration of 5ml/L. In the red spinach,
the highest number of leaves was generated
by the 5 ml/L concentration of nutrient
solution with the average number of leaves
produced was 4.42 leaves but not significantly
different with the concentration of other
nutrient solutions.
Based on Table 4, on 21 and 28
DAP green spinach produced more leaves
than red spinach. This suggested that green
spinach provide a better response than red
spinach.
Weight of Root. The statistical analysis of
fresh weight of roots showed that the
concentration treatment of nutrient solution,
type and interaction between the two
treatments did not significantly affect the
fresh weight of roots of spinach plants,
while the dry weight of roots showed that
the type of treatment significantly affected
the dry weight of spinach roots but the
concentration of nutrient solution and
interaction had no significant effect. In the
78
fresh weight parameter was obtained the
result that green spinach with a
concentration of the nutrient solution of
6ml/L resulted in fresh weight of root which
was heavier. In red spinach, a concentration
of 5ml /L nutrient solution had heavier fresh
weights which are presented in Table 5.
Table 6 showed that root dry weight
of green spinach concentrations of 5 and 6
ml/L yielded the heaviest dry weight of
root, while in dry weight of roots of red
spinach was produced by concentration of
5ml/L. In general, average dry weight of red
spinach roots was heavier than green
spinach.
Canopy Weight. The statistical analysis
showed that the treatment of nutrient
concentration and type showed no
significant interaction with fresh canopy
weight and each treatment did not
significantly affect the fresh weight of
spinach canopy while the concentration
treatment of nutrient and type significantly
affected the dry weight of spinach canopy,
but the effect of interaction between
nutrition and type had no significant effect.
Table 5. Average Weight of Root (g) at various concentrations of nutrient solution and two types of
spinach.
Concentration
4 ml/L (K1)
5 ml/L (K2)
6 ml/L (K3)
7 ml/L (K4)
Average
Treatment
Green Spinach (V1)
4.24 ± 1.36
5.45 ± 0.60
5.90 ± 1.74
4.08 ± 0.76
4.9
Red Spinach (V2)
5.22 ± 0.74
5.55 ± 0.58
5.23 ± 1.77
4.40 ± 0.85
5.1
Table 6. Average Dry Weight of Root (g) at various concentrations of nutrient solution and two
types of spinach.
Concentration
4 ml/L
5 ml/L
6 ml/L
7 ml/L
(K1)
(K2)
(K3)
(K4)
Average
HSD 5%
Treatment
Green Spinach (V1)
0.27 ± 0.07
0.28 ± 0.04
0.28 ± 0.13
0.24 ± 0.02
0.27a
Red Spinach (V2)
0.33 ± 0.06
0.38 ± 0.02
0.37 ± 0.15
0.27 ± 0.04
0.34b
0.06
Information: The number followed by the same alphabet and column has no significant difference at the HSD
level of 5%.
Table 7. Average Canopy Fresh Weight (g) of two types of spinach
Treatment
Concentration
Green Spinach (V1)
Red Spinach (V2)
4 ml/L (K1)
5 ml/L (K2)
6 ml/L (K3)
7 ml/L (K4)
Average
9.09± 1.19
9.10± 1.50
9.95± 1.39
8.12± 1.18
9.07
9.62± 1.98
10.8± 0.44
9.69± 1.32
9.02± 0.74
9.79
79
Table 8. Average Canopy Fresh Weight at various concentrations of nutrient solution (g).
Treatment
S1K1
S1K2
S1K3
S1K4
Treatment
S1K1 Vs S1K2,S1K3,S1K4
S1K2 Vs S1K3,S1K4
S1K3 Vs S1K4
F Table
0.05
0.01
Information :
** : Very real
Average
Treatment
Average
0.79 ± 0.03
S2K1
0.85 ± 0.11
0.90± 0.06
S2K2
1.22 ± 0.18
0.93 ± 0.12
S2K3
0.97 ± 0.19
0.79 ± 0.15
S2K4
0.89 ± 0.12
Orthogonal test
F calc
Treatment
F calc
1.12tn
S2K1 Vs S2K2,S2K3,S2K4
5.35*
0.23tn
S2K2 Vs S2K3,S2K4
12.98**
2.06tn
S2K3 Vs S2K4
0.77tn
4.41
0.05
4.41
8.29
0.01
8.29
tn :
* : Real
Unreal
Table 9. Average Canopy Dry Weight (g) of two types of spinach.
Treatment
Green spinach (V1)
Red spinach (V2)
HSD 5%
Information:
Canopy Dry Weight
0.85a
0.99b
0.122
The number followed by the same alphabet and column has no significant difference at the
HSD level of 5%
Table 10. Average Number of Chlorophyll (mg/g) at various concentrations of nutrient solution
and two types of spinach.
Treatment
Concentration
Green Spinach (V1)
Red Spinach (V2)
4 ml/L (K1)
5 ml/L (K2)
6 ml/L (k3)
7 ml/L (K4)
Average
0.02± 0.01
0.04± 0.01
0.05± 0.03
0.03± 0.02
0.15
0.03± 0.01
0.04± 0.01
0.03± 0.01
0.04± 0.03
0.13
Based on table 8, the type of green
spinach which resulted in the heaviest dry
weight that was obtained from the treatment
of nutrient solution concentration of 6 ml/L
with 0.93 ± 0.12 average but not
significantly different with other nutrient
concentrations whereas in the heaviest dry
weight of red spinach canopy was produced
by the concentration of 5 ml/L nutrient
solution with average of 1.22 ± 0.18.
In this treatment of type, the
heaviest canopy dry weight produced by red
spinach of 0.99g while green spinach
yielded only 0.65 g of dry weight that is
presented in Table 9.
chlorophyll. Statistical analysis
showed that the interaction of nutrient
concentration and type had no significant
effect and each treatment also had no
significant effect on the amount of plant
Leaf
80
chlorophyll. The effect of such treatment is
presented in Table 10.
Discussions
The results showed that spinach that
grown on hydroponic NFT systems could
grow well. The free-selling hydroponic
nutrient solution, AB-Mix (goodplant) had a
positive effect on the growth of green
spinach and red spinach.
Different concentrations of nutrient
solution had significant effect on plant
height, the number of leaves, dry weight of
root and canopy dry weight. In plant height,
the number of leaves, dry root and canopy
weight, nutrient solution concentration of 6
ml/L showed better results on green spinach
and 5ml/L in red spinach.
From the observation of plant
height, number of leaves, dry root weight,
and canopy dry weight, in green spinach
there was an increase of crop yield along
with the increase of nutrient solution
concentration from 4 ml/L to 6 ml/L, but at
the concentration of 7 ml/L the was decrease
of crop yields. Thus the concentration of 6
ml/L was the optimum concentration in
green spinach. In red spinach, there was an
increase in crop yield along with the
increase of nutrient solution concentration
from 4 ml/L to 5 ml/L but there is a
decrease in yield at the concentration of 6 to
7 ml/L.
According to Schwarz (1995) in
Dermawati (2000) and Kristanti (1998), the
concentration of nutrients that is unable to
meet the needs of plants in implementing
physiological processes can cause the
inhibitation of growth and development,
while the concentration of nutrients
dissolved that is too thick, it can make
plants less maximum to absorb nutrients
contained therein. Such concentrations can
affect plant metabolism, namely the speed
of photosynthesis, enzyme activity, and the
potential absorption of ion of the solution
by the roots so as to affect nutrient
absorption.
According to Wijayani and Widodo
(2005), concentrated solutions cannot be
absorbed by the roots maximally, due to the
cell osmotic pressure being smaller than the
osmotic pressure outside the cell, thus the
possibility of a return fluid of plant cells
(plasmolysis). This was supported by the
research of Moerhasrianto (2011), which
found that the growth rate of crops tended
to increase with increasing concentration of
"Growmore" nutrition to a concentration of
2.5 g/l, but decreased at higher concentrations
of 3 g/l. The decrease of growth rate is due
to nutrient solution which has high nutrient
nitrogen content, which according to
Runhayat (2007), the use of N nutrient
solution concentration above the optimum
point causes plant growth to be inhibited.
This result is also consistent with the fact
that N nutrient is toxic to plants when the
amount is too much.
The results of this study also showed
a significant effect on the treatment of
different types on plant height, number of
leaves, and canopy dry weight. The type
treatment showed green spinach and red
spinach had different growth responses to
each of the concentrations of nutrient
solution. On the dry weight parameter of
plant canopy was obtained the result that
verage dry weight of canopy on green
spinach was 0.93g, while red spinach was
1.22 g.
According to Sitompul and Guritno
(1995), the difference in genetic makeup is
one of the factors causing the diversity of
plant appearance. Genetic programs in a
different growth phase can be expressed on
a variety of plant traits that include the
shape and function of the plant to produce a
growth diversity. The diversity of plant
appearance due to differences in genetic
makeup is always possible even if the plants
used are of the same kind.
CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS
Conclusions
This study yields several conclusions:
1. AB-Mix nutrient solution can be used to
grow red and green spinach with NFT
hydroponic system.
81
2. The AB-Mix solution with a
concentration of 6 ml/L gave the best
growth for green spinach and 5 ml/L for
red spinach.
Suggestions
For better results it is advisable to
use AB Mix as much as 5 ml/L for red
spinach and 6 ml/L for green spinach.
REFERENCES
Banyo, Y.E., N.S Ai, P.Siahaan, A.M, Tangapo. 2013. Konsentrasi Klorofil Daun Padi pada Saat
Kekurangan Air yang Diinduksi dengan Polietilen Glikol. Jurnal Ilmiah Sains Vol. 13 (1):1-8
Candra Ginting dan Teresjia C. Rakian. 2008. Hidroponik: Pertanian Masa Depan Untuk
Masyarakat Perkotaan. WARTA-WIPTEK, Volume 16 Nomor 01-01-2008. Universitas
Haluoleo. Kendari
Dermawati.2006. Subtitusi Hara Mineral Organik Terhadap Inorganik Terhadap Produksi
Tanaman Pakchoi. Skripsi : Fakultas MIPA. Institut Pertanian Bogor. Bogor
Ida Syamsu Roidah.2014. Pemanfaatan Lahan Dengan Menggunakan Sistem Hidroponik. Jurnal
Universitas Tulungagung BONOROWO Vol. 1.No.2 Tahun 2014
Kristanti,N. 1998. Karakteristik Konduktivitas Listrik Larutan Nutrisi Tanaman Selada (Lactuva
sativa .L) pada System Nutrient Film Technique (NFT) Dengan Sirkulasi Larutan Nutrisi
Secara Berkala . Skripsi; Fakultas Pertanian. Institut Pertanian Bogor. Bogor
Moerhasrianto, P. 2011. Respon Pertumbuhan Tiga Macam Sayuran pada Berbagai Konsentrasi
Nutrisi
Larutan
Hidroponik.Skripsi:
Jurusan
Budidaya
Pertanian.
Fakultas
Pertanian.Universitas Jember.
Runhayat, A. 2007. Penentuan Kebutuhan Pokok Unsur Hara N, P, K Untuk Pertumbuhan
Tanaman Panili (Vanilla planifolia). Buletin Littro (Online) http:// balittro.litbang.
deptan.go.id/ind/images/stories/Buletin/.../5-panili.pdf. Diakses tanggal 5 Maret 2016.
Sitompul,S.M. dan Guritno.1995. Analisis Pertumbuhan Tanaman. Gadjah Mada University Press.
Yogyakarta
Wijayani, A. 2000. Budiaya Paprika Secara Hidroponik: Pengaruhnya terhadap Serapan Nitrogen
dalam Buah. Agrivet Vol 4 (2): 60-65.
Wijayani A. dan Widodo, W. 2005. Usaha Meningkatkan Kualitas Beberapa Varietas Tomat
dengan Sistem Budidaya Hidroponik. Ilmu Pertanian, Vol 12 (1) : 77-83.
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ISSN : 2407 – 7585
E-ISSN : 2407 - 7593
GROWTH OF SPINACH (AMARANTHUS TRICOLOR L.) UNDER
VARIOUS APPLICATIONS OF NUTRIENT CONCENTRATIONS IN
HYDROPONIC SYSTEM OF NUTRIENT FILM TECHNIQUE
Sindy Sella Rukmi1), Aiyen 2), Abdul Rauf 2)
1)
2)
Agrotechnology Program, Faculty of Agriculter, University of Tadulako, Palu Email : [email protected],
Faculty of Agriculter, University of Tadulako, Palu Email : [email protected], Email : [email protected]
ABSTRACT
The research aimed to discover the response of the growth of two spinach species on
Nutrient Film Technique (NFT) hydroponic system and the concentration of the appropriate AB
Mix solution on each species. The research was conducted in January to February 2016, at Green
House, Faculty of Agriculture, Tadulako University by using Split Plot Design method. The main
plot was red and green spinach, while the subplot was the concentration of AB Mix nutrient
solution, namely 4 ml/L of water, 5 ml/L of water, 6 ml/L of water and 7 ml/L of water. The
research findings reveal that AB Mix nutrient solution was generally very good to support the
growth of spinach on NFT hydroponic. The green spinach had better response rather than the red
one. There was no interaction between species and the concentration of nutrient solution. The good
concentration of nutrient solution for green spinach is 6 ml/L. It was showed by the better growth of
plant height on all age of plant, the more number of leaves, the canopy and the root (wet and dry)
were heavier, while on the red spinach, 5 ml/L of concentration of nutrient solution resulted in the
best growth, yet it was not significantly different from other concentration except on the parameter
of plant height and the dry weight of plant canopy.
Key Words : Nutrient film technique hydroponic, Nutrient solution, Species.
INTRODUCTION
Hydroponics is a non-media agricultural
land system that can be cultivated in various
places. Narrow land area, critical soil
conditions, uncontrolled pests and diseases,
limited amounts of irrigation water,
uncertain seasons, and uniform quality can
be overcome with this system (Ida, 2014).
One of the most widely used
hydroponic forms is the hydroponic NFT or
Nutrient Film Technique system. NFT is
one of hydroponic system with a method of
cultivation where the roots of plants are in a
thin layer of water that circulates and
contains nutrients in accordance with the
needs of plants (Cooper, 1979 in
Dermawati, 1996).
In the NFT system, nutrients for
plants are highly dependent on the nutrients
provided. Nutrient concentrations that are
not able to meet the needs of plants in
implementing physiological processes can
cause the process of inhibition of growth
and development, while the concentration
of nutrients that are dissolved too thick will
cause plant cells undergo plasmolysis, that
is the discharge of cell fluids as attracted by
the more concentrated nutrient solution
(Schwarz,1995 ; Wijayani 2000).
AB mix is one of the fertilizer that
can be used as a nutrient solution of the
hydroponics system. This fertilizer consists
of two parts namely stock A in the form of
macronutrients, while stock B is a
micronutrient. The recommended dosage of
5ml/L of water from the producers is for a
wide variety of plants, not on certain
species such as green vegetables so that
proper nutrient concentration is required to
75
obtain optimal plant growth in certain
species. In this connection, further study
was conducted on the proper dose of
nutrients for certain spinach types in the
NFT hydroponics system. The goal to be
achieved was to learn how to grow spinach
on the NFT hydroponics system, to study
the response of spinach to the concentration
of nutrient solutions in the NFT
hydroponics system, and determine the best
nutrient concentration for each spinach
species.
RESEARCH METHODS
The study was conducted from
January to February 2016 at the Greenhouse
Faculty of Agriculture, Tadulako University.
The instruments used in this
research were paper label, plastic tray, cork,
plastic board, oven, analytical scale,
spectrophotometer branded "PG Instrument
T-90", centrifuge, pipette, test tube,
measuring
cup,
documentation
and
stationery . The materials used were pure
water (Aquades), sand, red and green
spinach seeds (produced by CV.Aditya
Sentana Agro), alcohol, and ready-mixed
nutrient solution under the trademark of AB
Mix (produced by CV Sapto Bumi
Hidroponik).
This study used a split-plot design
method in a complete random form repeated
4 times. The main plot was a type of
spinach consisting of 2 treatments namely,
S1: Green Spinach and S2: Red Spinach.
The subplot was the concentration of
nutrient solution of AB Mix with 4
concentration level, K1: 4ml/L, K2: 5 ml/L,
K3: 6 ml/L and K4: 7 ml/L.
Research implementation activities
were as follows :
1. Seedling
Seeds of green and red spinach were
added to the sand medium and kept until
2 weeks old.
2. Preparation of Growing Media
Growing media in the form of
rectangular plastic containers with the
length of 28cm x width 21cm x height
4cm. The container was then given a
cover made of plastic board. The board
was perforated as many as 4 holes with
2.5 cm diameter functioned as a planting
hole. Each container was then filled with
500ml nutrient solution.
3. Planting
Planting was performed after the seeds
were 2 weeks old when the plant had
grown two or three leaves (uniform). The
root of the plant was coated with cork to
support the stem of the plant. Each
planting hole planted 3 seeds which then
nullified until 1 spinach plant.
4. Preparation of nutrient solutions
The nutrient solution was made from AB
Mix fertilizer. Stock A and B stock were
both crystalline powders each dissolved
in 500 ml aquades. The concentration
used was that the two solutions were
combined into:
K1: 4 ml stock A+ 4 ml stock B then
dissolved in 1 liter of aquades
K2 : 5ml stock A+ 5 ml stock B then
dissolved in 1 liter of aquades
K3: 6 ml stock A+ 6 ml stock B then
dissolved in 1 liter of aquades
K4: 7 ml stock A+ 7 ml stock B then
dissolved in 1 liter of aquades
5. Application of nutrient solutions
Application of nutrient solution to the
plant was performed by the solution
filled into the container that has been
prepared. Application of nutrient
solution in accordance with the
concentration tested.
6. Maintenance
Plant maintenance activities include
replacing and adding nutrient solution
once a week and controlling plant pests.
7. Harvesting
Harvesting was performed after 4 weeks
after planting.
Research Variable
To know the effect of the experiment,
then made a number of observations on the
growth of plants. The observed as follows:
a. Number of leaves, observed at ages of
14, 21 and 28 DAP. The calculated
leaves were perfectly formed leaves.
76
b. Plant height (cm), measured uniformly
from the surface of the cork.
c. Fresh weight of root and canopy (g),
weighed after harvesting with analytic
scales.
d. Dry weight of root and canopy (g), the
sample was weighed after being put in
the oven for 48 hours with temperature
of 650 C.
e. Chlorophyll total (mg/g), measured by
using a spectrophotometer after harvesting.
Leaf chlorophyll measurements used the
Wintermans and De Mots (1965) method
in Banyo et al. (2013), that was 1 g Fresh
leaves that dissolved in 20ml ethanol
(96%) and measured the absorbance of
chlorophyll solution at 649 and 665 nm
wavelengths.
Data Analysis
The data obtained were analyzed by
analysis of variance (F test), if the treatment
had real effect followed by honestly
significant different test (HSD) to know the
response of plant type and orthogonal test to
know the appropriate concentration on each
plant type.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS
Results
Plant height. Statistical analysis showed
that the concentration of nutrient solution
had significant effect on plant height at age
of 21 and 28 DAP, whereas the type
treatment had significant effect on plant
height at age of 14,21 and 28 DAP. The
interaction between the concentration of
nutrient solution and the type did not have
real effect on plant height. At the age of 28
DAP, the nutrient solution of 6 ml/L
resulted in the highest plant height of 35.84
± 2.66 and very real difference with
treatment of 7 ml/L. Similarly, in red
spinach, the response of nutrient solution of
6 ml/L was significantly different from 4
ml/L and very real to 7 ml/L.
In the type treatment, it was shown
that green spinach yielded a higher average
plant height than red spinach at all plant
ages is presented in Table 2. Plant height
growth is presented in Table 1.
Table 1. The average of plant height (cm) on 28 DAP at various concentrations of nutrient solution.
Treatment
S1K1
S1K2
S1K3
S1K4
Treatment
S1K1 Vs S1K2,S1K3,S1K4
S1K2 Vs S1K3, S1K4
S1K3 Vs S1K4
F Table
0.05
0.01
Information :
Treatment
S2K1
S2K2
S2K3
S2K4
Average
32.08 ± 1.57
32.65 ± 1.32
35.84 ± 2.66
27.78 ± 2.30
** : Very real
Orthogonal test
F calculation
Treatment
0.00 tn
S2K1 Vs S2K2,S2K3,S2K4
0.43 tn
S2K2 Vs S2K3 Vs S2K4
29.48**
S2K3 Vs S2K4
4.41
0.05
8.29
0.01
* : Reak
tn :
Average
21.78 ± 4.05
25.66 ± 1.17
27.53 ± 1.99
19.97 ± 1.45
F calculation
4.6 *
2.2 tn
25.9 **
4.41
8.29
Unreal
Table 2. The average of Plant height (cm) on 14, 21, and 28 DAP of two types of spinach
Treatment
Green spinach (S1)
Red spinach (S2)
HSD 5%
Information:
14 DAP
7.58b
6.08a
0.67
Plant height
21 DAP
14.71b
11.41a
0.92
28 DAP
32.09b
23.73a
2.28
The number followed by the same alphabet and column has no significant difference at the
HSD level of 5%.
77
Table 3. Average number of leaves (helai) on 21 DAP at various concentrations of nutrient solution.
Treatment
Treatment
Average
4.50 ± 0.64
S2K1
4.92 ± 0.17
S2K2
5.67 ± 0.47
S2K3
4.25 ± 0.17
S2K4
Orthogonal test
S1K1
S1K2
S1K3
S1K4
Treatment
S1K1 Vs S1K2,S1K3,S1K4
S1K2 Vs S1K3,S1K4
S1K3 Vs S1K4
F Table
0.05
001
Information:
** : Very real
F calc
3.42tn
0.03tn
23.17**
4.41
8.29
* : Real
Average
4.25±0.57
4.42±0.42
4.33±0.38
3.92±0.17
Treatment
S2K1 Vs S2K2,S2K3,S2K4
S2K2 Vs S2K3,S2K4
S2K3 Vs S2K4
0.05
0.01
tn :
F calc
0.0tn
1.3tn
2.0tn
4.41
8.29
Unreal
Table 4. Average Number of leaves on 14, 21, and 28 DAP of two types of spinach.
Treatment
Green spinach (S1)
Red spinach (S2)
HSD 5%
Information:
14 DAP
3.31
3.38
-
Number of leaves
21 DAP
4.83b
4.23a
0.34
28 DAP
10.60b
9.44a
0.87
The number followed by the same alphabet and column has no significant difference at the
HSD level of 5%.
Number of leaves. Statistical analysis
showed that the treatment of nutrient
concentration had significant effect on the
number of leaves at age of 21 DAP, while at
age of 14 and 28 DAP did not have real
effect. In the treatment of the type of effect
was real to the number of leaves at age of
21 and 28 DAP. The interaction between
the concentration of nutrient solution and
the type had no significant effect on the
number of leaves.
In Table 3, the type of green spinach
that produced the most number of leaves
obtained from the treatment of nutrient
concentration of 6ml/L with the average
number of leaves produced was 5.67 leaves
but not significantly different with the
concentration of 5ml/L. In the red spinach,
the highest number of leaves was generated
by the 5 ml/L concentration of nutrient
solution with the average number of leaves
produced was 4.42 leaves but not significantly
different with the concentration of other
nutrient solutions.
Based on Table 4, on 21 and 28
DAP green spinach produced more leaves
than red spinach. This suggested that green
spinach provide a better response than red
spinach.
Weight of Root. The statistical analysis of
fresh weight of roots showed that the
concentration treatment of nutrient solution,
type and interaction between the two
treatments did not significantly affect the
fresh weight of roots of spinach plants,
while the dry weight of roots showed that
the type of treatment significantly affected
the dry weight of spinach roots but the
concentration of nutrient solution and
interaction had no significant effect. In the
78
fresh weight parameter was obtained the
result that green spinach with a
concentration of the nutrient solution of
6ml/L resulted in fresh weight of root which
was heavier. In red spinach, a concentration
of 5ml /L nutrient solution had heavier fresh
weights which are presented in Table 5.
Table 6 showed that root dry weight
of green spinach concentrations of 5 and 6
ml/L yielded the heaviest dry weight of
root, while in dry weight of roots of red
spinach was produced by concentration of
5ml/L. In general, average dry weight of red
spinach roots was heavier than green
spinach.
Canopy Weight. The statistical analysis
showed that the treatment of nutrient
concentration and type showed no
significant interaction with fresh canopy
weight and each treatment did not
significantly affect the fresh weight of
spinach canopy while the concentration
treatment of nutrient and type significantly
affected the dry weight of spinach canopy,
but the effect of interaction between
nutrition and type had no significant effect.
Table 5. Average Weight of Root (g) at various concentrations of nutrient solution and two types of
spinach.
Concentration
4 ml/L (K1)
5 ml/L (K2)
6 ml/L (K3)
7 ml/L (K4)
Average
Treatment
Green Spinach (V1)
4.24 ± 1.36
5.45 ± 0.60
5.90 ± 1.74
4.08 ± 0.76
4.9
Red Spinach (V2)
5.22 ± 0.74
5.55 ± 0.58
5.23 ± 1.77
4.40 ± 0.85
5.1
Table 6. Average Dry Weight of Root (g) at various concentrations of nutrient solution and two
types of spinach.
Concentration
4 ml/L
5 ml/L
6 ml/L
7 ml/L
(K1)
(K2)
(K3)
(K4)
Average
HSD 5%
Treatment
Green Spinach (V1)
0.27 ± 0.07
0.28 ± 0.04
0.28 ± 0.13
0.24 ± 0.02
0.27a
Red Spinach (V2)
0.33 ± 0.06
0.38 ± 0.02
0.37 ± 0.15
0.27 ± 0.04
0.34b
0.06
Information: The number followed by the same alphabet and column has no significant difference at the HSD
level of 5%.
Table 7. Average Canopy Fresh Weight (g) of two types of spinach
Treatment
Concentration
Green Spinach (V1)
Red Spinach (V2)
4 ml/L (K1)
5 ml/L (K2)
6 ml/L (K3)
7 ml/L (K4)
Average
9.09± 1.19
9.10± 1.50
9.95± 1.39
8.12± 1.18
9.07
9.62± 1.98
10.8± 0.44
9.69± 1.32
9.02± 0.74
9.79
79
Table 8. Average Canopy Fresh Weight at various concentrations of nutrient solution (g).
Treatment
S1K1
S1K2
S1K3
S1K4
Treatment
S1K1 Vs S1K2,S1K3,S1K4
S1K2 Vs S1K3,S1K4
S1K3 Vs S1K4
F Table
0.05
0.01
Information :
** : Very real
Average
Treatment
Average
0.79 ± 0.03
S2K1
0.85 ± 0.11
0.90± 0.06
S2K2
1.22 ± 0.18
0.93 ± 0.12
S2K3
0.97 ± 0.19
0.79 ± 0.15
S2K4
0.89 ± 0.12
Orthogonal test
F calc
Treatment
F calc
1.12tn
S2K1 Vs S2K2,S2K3,S2K4
5.35*
0.23tn
S2K2 Vs S2K3,S2K4
12.98**
2.06tn
S2K3 Vs S2K4
0.77tn
4.41
0.05
4.41
8.29
0.01
8.29
tn :
* : Real
Unreal
Table 9. Average Canopy Dry Weight (g) of two types of spinach.
Treatment
Green spinach (V1)
Red spinach (V2)
HSD 5%
Information:
Canopy Dry Weight
0.85a
0.99b
0.122
The number followed by the same alphabet and column has no significant difference at the
HSD level of 5%
Table 10. Average Number of Chlorophyll (mg/g) at various concentrations of nutrient solution
and two types of spinach.
Treatment
Concentration
Green Spinach (V1)
Red Spinach (V2)
4 ml/L (K1)
5 ml/L (K2)
6 ml/L (k3)
7 ml/L (K4)
Average
0.02± 0.01
0.04± 0.01
0.05± 0.03
0.03± 0.02
0.15
0.03± 0.01
0.04± 0.01
0.03± 0.01
0.04± 0.03
0.13
Based on table 8, the type of green
spinach which resulted in the heaviest dry
weight that was obtained from the treatment
of nutrient solution concentration of 6 ml/L
with 0.93 ± 0.12 average but not
significantly different with other nutrient
concentrations whereas in the heaviest dry
weight of red spinach canopy was produced
by the concentration of 5 ml/L nutrient
solution with average of 1.22 ± 0.18.
In this treatment of type, the
heaviest canopy dry weight produced by red
spinach of 0.99g while green spinach
yielded only 0.65 g of dry weight that is
presented in Table 9.
chlorophyll. Statistical analysis
showed that the interaction of nutrient
concentration and type had no significant
effect and each treatment also had no
significant effect on the amount of plant
Leaf
80
chlorophyll. The effect of such treatment is
presented in Table 10.
Discussions
The results showed that spinach that
grown on hydroponic NFT systems could
grow well. The free-selling hydroponic
nutrient solution, AB-Mix (goodplant) had a
positive effect on the growth of green
spinach and red spinach.
Different concentrations of nutrient
solution had significant effect on plant
height, the number of leaves, dry weight of
root and canopy dry weight. In plant height,
the number of leaves, dry root and canopy
weight, nutrient solution concentration of 6
ml/L showed better results on green spinach
and 5ml/L in red spinach.
From the observation of plant
height, number of leaves, dry root weight,
and canopy dry weight, in green spinach
there was an increase of crop yield along
with the increase of nutrient solution
concentration from 4 ml/L to 6 ml/L, but at
the concentration of 7 ml/L the was decrease
of crop yields. Thus the concentration of 6
ml/L was the optimum concentration in
green spinach. In red spinach, there was an
increase in crop yield along with the
increase of nutrient solution concentration
from 4 ml/L to 5 ml/L but there is a
decrease in yield at the concentration of 6 to
7 ml/L.
According to Schwarz (1995) in
Dermawati (2000) and Kristanti (1998), the
concentration of nutrients that is unable to
meet the needs of plants in implementing
physiological processes can cause the
inhibitation of growth and development,
while the concentration of nutrients
dissolved that is too thick, it can make
plants less maximum to absorb nutrients
contained therein. Such concentrations can
affect plant metabolism, namely the speed
of photosynthesis, enzyme activity, and the
potential absorption of ion of the solution
by the roots so as to affect nutrient
absorption.
According to Wijayani and Widodo
(2005), concentrated solutions cannot be
absorbed by the roots maximally, due to the
cell osmotic pressure being smaller than the
osmotic pressure outside the cell, thus the
possibility of a return fluid of plant cells
(plasmolysis). This was supported by the
research of Moerhasrianto (2011), which
found that the growth rate of crops tended
to increase with increasing concentration of
"Growmore" nutrition to a concentration of
2.5 g/l, but decreased at higher concentrations
of 3 g/l. The decrease of growth rate is due
to nutrient solution which has high nutrient
nitrogen content, which according to
Runhayat (2007), the use of N nutrient
solution concentration above the optimum
point causes plant growth to be inhibited.
This result is also consistent with the fact
that N nutrient is toxic to plants when the
amount is too much.
The results of this study also showed
a significant effect on the treatment of
different types on plant height, number of
leaves, and canopy dry weight. The type
treatment showed green spinach and red
spinach had different growth responses to
each of the concentrations of nutrient
solution. On the dry weight parameter of
plant canopy was obtained the result that
verage dry weight of canopy on green
spinach was 0.93g, while red spinach was
1.22 g.
According to Sitompul and Guritno
(1995), the difference in genetic makeup is
one of the factors causing the diversity of
plant appearance. Genetic programs in a
different growth phase can be expressed on
a variety of plant traits that include the
shape and function of the plant to produce a
growth diversity. The diversity of plant
appearance due to differences in genetic
makeup is always possible even if the plants
used are of the same kind.
CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS
Conclusions
This study yields several conclusions:
1. AB-Mix nutrient solution can be used to
grow red and green spinach with NFT
hydroponic system.
81
2. The AB-Mix solution with a
concentration of 6 ml/L gave the best
growth for green spinach and 5 ml/L for
red spinach.
Suggestions
For better results it is advisable to
use AB Mix as much as 5 ml/L for red
spinach and 6 ml/L for green spinach.
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